Formed in 2007 in Los Angeles, Huntress released their debut album Spell Eater in 2012, their brand of witchy, occult-powered heavy metal striking a major chord in a climate becoming increasingly dominated by metalcore also-rans and overproduced slop. Leading the charge was their charismatic frontwoman, Jill Janus.
A practicing witch who had previously dabbled in opera singing, DJing and modelling, Jill became one of the most recognisable faces in the 2010s metal scene, her powerful voice, enigmatic personality and captivating stage presence marking her out as destined for great things.
As Huntress' star grew, Jill began to be more open about her mental health, revealing in 2015 that she had suffered with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder, as well as battles with alcoholism and a cancer diagnosis. Three years later, aged just 42, Jill took her own life. It brought a sudden and tragic end to one of the most colourful stories in modern metal. In May 2012, as Spell Eater was about to drop, Metal Hammer interviewed Jill about her wild career, her love of heavy metal culture and her passion for the world of the occult.
"I am so proud to fly the flag for heavy metal. I've been waiting for this my entire life. Now is the time; I'm seeing bands that are starting to get noticed that did not before. The occult aspect of metal is thriving right now with Ghost and The Devil's Blood. We're all part of this movement.
"We're on the verge of a profound shift. I'm not here to change the world, but goddamn, I'm happy to be part of that. I am married to heavy metal. There is nothing else that I'm going to be doing with my life - this is it!"
I am married to heavy metal. There is nothing else that I'm going to be doing with my life
In an era where some of the most prominent names in our world are on occasion worryingly happy to prevaricate over or even overtly distance themselves from their status as a heavy metal band, Huntress singer Jill Janus is refreshingly forthright on the band's loyalties.
The Californian five-piece clearly embrace all that heavy metal embodies with a vigour that has nothing to do with parody, pastiche or nostalgia, but is instead a bold statement of allegiance to the black banners and bloody flags of a vibrant, powerful cause.
From the imagery - all leather, blood, swords and fire, as displayed in their video for Eight Of Swords that references the tarot card of the same name - to their magic-and-occult-themed lyrical content, right down to the ballsy, riff-driven might of the music itself, Huntress place themselves very firmly in a certain and specific territory. It's the realm dotted with statues of Dio and monuments to Judas Priest, where Kerry King is the most recognisable face in the land and where Kill With Power is the National Anthem.
And, unlike some of their peers, Huntress don't see this land as a tourist attraction, or as the object of an ironic affection and po-faced posturing. This is a band that clearly thinks the whole kingdom is awesome, not something to either shy away from, be embarrassed by or treat as a joke.
It's a rather unusual attitude in this era - especially so outside of continental Europe, and most of all in the United States. But given Huntress's frontwoman, her life story so far and her decade-long quest to form this band, it's far from the most unusual thing about them.
Born into, as she puts it, "a very eccentric family" and raised on a deer farm in the Catskill Mountains in upper New York State, Jill's career had taken her to a classical conservatory, performing opera in Europe, singing for the Prince Of Monaco in Monte Carlo, DJing in New York City and posing for Playboy. But from her earliest days, she knew what she wanted to do.
"When I was five years old, I said to my dad, 'Daddy, I want to be a singer and I'm going to live in New York City," she says. "And sure enough, I did, and it's never changes. My vision has never compromised. I've always known what my path was; I was born into it."
Jill won a scholarship to develop her coloratura soprano voice in Manhattan, making her vision reality. Once she graduated from the conservatory, auditioning brought her a job in Monte Carlo performing “really high, glass-breaking roles” in a revue, spending a year in the principality.
On returning to the USA and to New York after her year abroad, she began promoting parties to make a living (“The money went, and I was like, ‘Dang, I’m going to have to be creative, I don’t really want to have to get a normal job’,” she explains) and learned to DJ to avoid needing to employ one herself.
“I was doing it in a bikini,” she explains. “I was trying to have a gimmick to make more money, and it blew up in my face. It made me extremely unhappy. I didn’t expect it to happen that way, I didn’t expect to garner so much attention. It was a little bit heartbreaking for me, because all I wanted to do was sing in a band, but I couldn’t find any musicians that were at the level where I was vocally. I needed shredders. So it’s been a 10-year search to find these musicians.”
I was DJing in a bikini...it made me extremely unhappy
The end of that particular chapter, as unhappy as it made her, could not have come through a more terrible event, however – an event that changed the lives of so many residents of New York City.
“I worked at the World Trade Center. I did a show called The Stereo Show every Monday night on Floor 107. September 10 was my last party there, and I left at 2am on September 11. So I lost everything. I lost my apartment, I lost all of my money, I became ill, and I ended up moving home with my mother. I was living at home at the time when Playboy called.”
That call led to a well- paid pictorial in Hugh Hefner’s magazine and a corresponding move to Los Angeles, and it was here that Jill met the musicians she had been searching for ever since her teens.
After performing as part of all-girl rock covers band The Chelsea Girls, featuring former Hole/Eagles Of Death Metal drummer Samantha Maloney, The Donnas guitarist Allison Robertson and Corey Parks of Nashville Pussy, Jill found the shredders she was looking for in local act Professor. Having joined forces with guitarists Blake Meahl and Ian Alden, Chris Wierzbicky and Eric Harris (ex-Skeletonwitch) swelled the ranks on drums and bass respectively, and Huntress was born.
Jill’s love of metal was instilled by her introduction to Danzig and Misfits by her elder sister, Christie (aged 14, Jill recorded a Misfits covers album with a local band) before graduating to more aggressive fare with Slayer and other thrash acts (“Suicidal Tendencies was my all-time favourite band in my teens,” she says). And given her background in opera and theatrical performances, one of the other key figures in Huntress’s musical gestation should come as no surprise.
“I take my inspiration from King Diamond; I respect him immensely,” she says. “I’m not claiming that I can be anything close to him – he’s a metal god, and I can only hope to aspire to get near his level, but I admire him and I feel a kinship with that type of performance. So it makes sense to me, especially with the type of voice I have. But one of the things I also strive for is not to be too obvious about my vocal choices.
“I’m a woman, therefore most people would perceive that I’m going to be a bit more melodic or do certain breakdowns where I’m going to be a little bit 'girly' – and I hate that shit! I strive to break barriers, and you may have misconceptions at first.
"You think ‘female singer, she shows a lot of skin’, and all these things that come into play, but part of the fun for me is having people give me shade at first and then actually taking time to hear the music or see what I do, and then winning them over.”
I take my inspiration from King Diamond; I respect him immensely
The fondness for thrash, the operatic and theatrical background – along with a love of the more dramatic end of the metal spectrum – explains Huntress’s sound, rooted as it is in thrashy riffs, dramatic vocals and sheer heavy metal grit. What it doesn’t explain is why they embrace the imagery they do so absolutely. Although it does not take very long when talking to Jill for the missing piece of the puzzle to slide into place with an audible click.
“I’ve always known how I wanted Huntress to sound, how I wanted it to look, the imagery,” Jill begins, before casually continuing: “Being a witch, I also knew that it was going to be drenched with occult imagery, that it would also tell the story of the occult arts. Being pagan and being an active practising witch, I would say witchcraft has always been part of my life, it’s always motivated my music, and it’s always motivated me. Whether it’s visualisation or spells.
"It encompasses all aspects of me; I’m very devoted to witchcraft, and not a lot of people have even known about that. It’s not something I talk about, but it has been since childhood. I’ve really known no other way of life but pagan.”
Another gift from that “eccentric” family she spoke of earlier, Jill’s pagan beliefs are the reason Huntress can adopt visuals most would require their tongues firmly in their cheeks to attempt. For most metallers, magic and mysticism, however much loved, are nothing more than a concept. For Jill Janus however, it is as real as the idea of the Resurrection is to a Christian or as the Devil is to a Satanic band like Watain – and like the evil Swedes, it’s the reason they can pull it off in a way that wins fans over rather than merely making them snigger.
“Everything has led up to this point,” Jill notes. “Being pagan I would love to live in a little witch hut in the middle of the woods, grow out my armpit hair and smoke weed all day! That’s really what I would love to do, but I feel like I have a greater purpose, and my greater purpose is Huntress.
"I feel that heavy metal is where I belong; this is my passion and this is the only thing I am supposed to do with my life. There are sacrifices, and there’s a lot of anxiety that comes with having to be so public, but it’s time to step up and embrace it.”
I would love to live in a little witch hut in the middle of the woods, grow out my armpit hair and smoke weed
And embrace it Huntress do. They’re lustfully, spectacularly committed to their path – a path divined through magic that leads stridently to the very heart of heavy metal, and makes no apologies on the way.
“I’m very, very proud to be a metal singer, and I hope I can help raise the level of musicianship a little bit in music,” Jill concludes. “I’m tired of indie bands, I’m tired of hipsters – I want to see metal thrive. I want to see more bands come out that are dark and heavy. I’m so excited to see what’s going to happen, and more than anything I’m excited to share this journey with the band.
“I’m a warrior – we are warriors for heavy metal, she concludes defiantly. “This is what we’re doing – we’re fighting for more notice for heavy metal, and I’ll fight to the death for it. Now is our time. I’m coming for my crown!"
If you need to talk to someone, the Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123 or via samaritans.org (UK), or you can contact the Mental Health America helpline on 988 or via mhanational.org (US)
